Gustav Holst: The Planets

Gustav Holst's "The Planets" was, along with Felix Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony and Antonin Dvorak's 9th Symphony, one of the works of classical music I discovered as a child of about 8 years. I fell in love with the varied, lively and dramatic music on the record in my father's collection almost instantly and there were times when I listened to it almost every day. However, at some point, I abandoned "The Planets" completely. There was too much else to disover and I realized that the modern British composer's suite of seven orchestral tone poems (one for each planet except the Earth and Pluto, which was not yet discovered) was maybe not quite as profound as most other famous classical works. Therefore, it took me until now to actually buy my own recording of it.

Following recommendations in many classical music magazines, I opted for the Philharmonia Orchestra's 1994 rendition, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, on Deutsche Grammophon. A good suggestion it was indeed. This disc one of the best-produced in my entire collection, sounding incredibly full, vivid and transparent. Above all, however, Gardiner's rigorously analytical interpretation rids "The Planets" of all the soundtrack schmaltz it has become associated with, allowing its colourful textures to shine with enormous clarity. The great restraint he exercises makes the frequent mood changes all the more poignant without compromising the work's sense of epic grandeur.

Holst's suite is coupled with his contemporary Percy Grainger's ballet score "The Warriors". The Australian composer himself described it as follows: "ghosts of male and female warrior types of all times and places [...] spirited together for an orgy of war-like dances, processions, and merry-makings broken, or accompanied, by amorous interludes." Indeed. The work is an eclectic mess; a carefree stream-of-consciousness of unconnected musical events that leads nowhere in particular, instead being quite contented to simply relish in its own stupendous scale and mad exuberance. Treated the same brilliant sound, interpretation and flawless playing as "The Planets", it is yet another reason to purchase this CD.